Losing Faith
by tolkienlover
Summary: After losing someone important to him, Chrom doesn't handle it in the best way. Yet, his tactician, Elisabeth, doesn't seem to mind too much... (Spoilers for Fire Emblem: Awakening; Rated T for a bit of kissing; Chrom X Avatar/Robin)


**_A/N:_**

_Okay, so, here's something. Ah, it's really different from what I usually write, and though I'm not the best at writing 'kissing scenes' (I've seen it referred to as 'Lime' on this site? hahah.), I did try my best. If you have any suggestions or comments, drop them in the review box, pretty please, and I'll totally take them into consideration. Hope you enjoy!_

**_Spoilers: ANYONE WHO HASN'T FINISHED, LIKE, CHAPTER 7, I WOULDN'T READ THIS, HEHEHE. _**

**_Warnings: Spoilers for the plotline, and ah, major 'lime', or romantic interaction. Nothing too bad, though :)_**

**_Disclaimer: Fire Emblem: Awakening belongs to its creators, not me. Thank you!_**

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><p><em>Losing Faith <em>

_The Ylissean castle that night was quiet._

Perhaps it was the lack of Sully's snide remarks, or Stahl's loud snacking, or even the missing footsteps of Frederick pacing down the hallways, securing each doorway with care and then retiring to his own room. Yet, it was none of those things; Queen Emmeryn was gone, her cheery smile and calming presence disappearing with her as she descended into death, and her missing personal made the castle upsettingly dull.

Lissa seemed to be devastated, refusing to leave the palace gardens while clutching a gathering of daffodils to her chest and weeping well into the night. It hurt everyone to see her like that, see the brightest person of the army sobbing in the flowers of the castle, but not a person had the heart to speak with her except for Maribelle and Frederick, who refused to leave her side, even as she cried loudly into her friend's shoulder.

Despite Lissa's concerning state, Elisabeth was hardly worried about her—she knew the cleric was strong, and would make it through—instead, she was searching the castle for Chrom, whom had disappeared as soon as the Shepherds had returned to Ylisse. It seemed clear enough where he was, and yet, she had yet to search there, scared to see what she might find in the place of her usually rock-solid Prince.

Approaching his room with quiet steps, Elisabeth sighed and paused just as she was about to knock. _It may be best to leave him be_, she thought as she heard nothing but silence from the room, _he may be better off alone. _But as hard as she tried, the tactician couldn't bring herself to leave the door, and finally resolved to at least check in on him, even if he wasn't as strong as he was before.

Gently, the woman knocked her fingers into the expensive wood of his door, her face soft as the noise echoed into the room. There was only silence in return, causing Elisabeth to knock once more and call quietly into the crack between the door and the wall, "Chrom?" There was a slight shuffling noise, but none other, and it made the girl uneasy. "It's me, Chrom."

The shuffling started up again, and Elisabeth had finally had enough; her fingers drifted to the brass doorknob and twisted it to the side, pushing the door open under her touch. It creaked loudly, as though it hadn't been used in some time, and then revealed the Prince's room inside, causing Elisabeth's breath to get caught in her throat.

It really shouldn't have been such a big deal, and yet, to see something that was _wholly his_, that wasn't some tent in the middle of nowhere, felt special to her. The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight that poured in from the double glass doors that led to a balcony overlooking the gardens. A bookshelf was crammed into one corner, stacked full with unused novels and textbooks, and a wooden desk sat beside it, a piece of paper, ink, and a quill laid out over it. To her left was a large dresser, and just past that, shielded from the windows, was a master bed, laid with perfectly white sheets and plump pillows set straight across the headboard. And sitting on the edge, his face in his hands, was Chrom.

He sat in his the same dirtied gear he had worn home, leaving dark streaks across his pristine sheets, and his hair was ruffled up as though he had run his hands through it. He didn't look up when Elisabeth came in, and he didn't react when she closed the door behind her.

Carefully, the woman folded her hands in front of her, and watched him with a look of concern, her face turned down as her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She moved closer to him, and sat beside him on the bed, producing a creak from the bed-frame. Chrom remained still, his breathing the only thing that reassured her that the man was alive.

"Chrom?" Elisabeth spoke in the softest tone she could muster, and placed her hand on his leg. To her relief, the man finally moved, letting out a sigh as if he was annoyed with the girl's attempt to comfort him. He moved his face away from his hands, and to Elisabeth's surprise, his eyes were rid of any sort of tears; only a slight pass of red that rimmed his iris could be seen, and only then, barely. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes dull, but other than that, he was still Chrom. He was still her Chrom.

She moved her hand away, only to look down into her lap and toy mindlessly with her fingers. "I was—I mean, we were worried about you," she said as the man sat soundlessly beside her, his eyes watching the woman carefully as she avoided his gaze. "Ylisse is grieving, and I know you are too, so I thought that, well, maybe you wouldn't wish to be alone."

Chrom sighed again, and his face tightened. "I—I don't know," he said finally, his eyes still trained upon Elisabeth with a dull gleam, "You may not be pleased with who you find in the place of Ylisse's Prince."

"I'll find_ you_," she said firmly, and he believed her when she said it; her eyes lit up and her face flushed as it set into a determined expression, "This isn't just a loss for you, Chrom, it's a loss for all of Ylisse. Your people don't expect anyone but you now," His eyes sparked, and Elisabeth saw something behind them, a sign of life that made her heart take off into a race against her blood, "You don't have to be alone in this. Chrom," his face lightened as she nodded at him, "you're never alone with me at your side."

Her face flushed again and her cheeks became a bright pink, but she didn't take back her words as she didn't regret them. They were one-hundred percent true, and if she took them back, it would be a lie. His face finally relaxed, and he seemed relieved to be able to speak with someone other than his reflection in the glass. "Elisabeth, I just—"Chrom's words caught as he shut his eyes, "I was just _so powerless_ as she fell, and there was nothing that could have changed that. It was my fault."

"It wasn't your fault, it was mine." He looked up in surprise as the woman's face fell; her eyes glazed over with a sheen of tears as they threatened to spill over. "I should have checked the area, or switched the plans with a different strategy, or—"

"Is that why you are here?" Chrom asked, and Elisabeth looked over with sad eyes. "To comfort me and blame yourself?"

"It was my fault." She repeated, and this time her tears disappeared and her face set into the same determined expression he had seen before.

The Prince shook his head, "Emmeryn jumped for me, so I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of choosing either way. She saved me from the people's hate, which is only fair, I suppose," Chrom said, "She always did look out for Lissa and I." Elisabeth watched as the man who she had always thought of as unbreakable crumple, his face twisted and his hands clenched together on the bed. "I just wished I could have done something." His words sounded choked at the end, and made the girl's heart clench tightly.

They were quiet for a moment as the man let tears spill over his cheeks and run down his face. Elisabeth felt something along her cheek and ran her hand there, feeling wetness just below her eyes. His tears provoked her own, and before long, she reached out her hand to run along the length of his arm, drawing his attention to her with a slight gesture. Gently, Elisabeth reached out, and he pulled her forward to embrace her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, moving so her knees were on either side of his waist. He didn't seem to mind as his face went to her neck, his silent tears leaving a warm feeling against her collarbone.

His dark hair brushed up against her cheek as she held him close to her, hoping to trap him in her arms, meaning to keep all of his sadness and his troubles inside her heart so Chrom would never have to bear them again. The man's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, gripping into the back of her cloak with a fierce possession. She let him stay there, her nearly on his lap and his face in her neck, as he cried, letting him weep over his eldest sister in peace.

When his tears stopped, she finally spoke, breaking the silence between them. "She loved you," Elisabeth murmured against his forehead, her lips ghosting over his skin in a quick breath, "You and Lissa were her everything, I could see it in her eyes." It wasn't until her words dropped from her mouth that the woman realized what state they were in; her legs dropped over his waist, his feet dangling from the bed and set on the floor, while her hands were wrapped around in his hair. It was softer than she had imagined, and much longer, brushing over his forehead and leaving a tickling feeling against the skin at her throat.

She had stopped breathing; her body was completely still, as Chrom moved her closer, pulling her so she was near to flush against him in the pale-lit room. Her silver eyes were wide and glinted in the light of the moon as he pulled her to eye-level, catching her own gaze with his dark one. His tears had left nearly invisible trails down his face, and she couldn't help herself when her hand moved to his cheek, swiping her thumb across one of the trails and wiping it from his skin. The man's breath caught, and she untangled her other hand from his hair to cup the other side of his face, feeling the tanned skin there. His eyes mirrored hers—endless pools of navy blue swimming with what was left of the tears—almost exactly: wide, glistening, and bright. She was so close, closer than she had ever been to her leader, and yet, it made her skin heat up and her mouth part in surprise.

He matched her motions, pulling one of his hands from her waist to press lightly against her face, and left Elisabeth breathless as his fingertips moved across her cheek. "Chrom," she said softly as he continued to move his hand back and forth along her skin, "you're not thinking clearly. Neither am I, for that matter," she admitted, her voice in whispers as he paid her words no attention, moving his hand to curl into her hair and let it stay there. "Maybe I should leave before I make things worse."

"Worse?" he asked, his words exhaled in a breath of cool air, fanning out over her face and making her blush even harder.

"Much worse," Elisabeth replied, tilting her head slightly as his fingers pulled on a pale curl of hair, tugging her to the look directly at him. His eyes were blown wide, but nearly black with a sort of ink that had leaked into them, leaving them pooling with an emotion she didn't recognize. "I should go."

She moved to pull away, yet her heart resisted; _Stay! Stay here with him, _the thought repeated loudly, over and over in her head as he watched her expectantly, his hand still curled into her hair. _Stay._ Elisabeth sighed quietly, and moved her hands away from his face to drop into her lap. His face lightened considerably, and she almost smiled at the slight bit of joy that edged around his eyes.

"I did come here for a reason," she said, softly, "You disappeared as soon as we got here, and no one's seen you since then. They figured I could find you, but—but," her voice cracked as he moved closer to her, leaning his forehead against hers, making him so close, her nose brushed across his with a quick skim, "Sumia and Cordelia are looking too, despite my protests."

"I just needed some time," he said, and despite the long sadness hidden behind the emotion in his eyes, she believed he might be alright, at least, for the time being, "I'll always need time for Emmeryn."

"That doesn't give you permission to mope in your room," his face lit up, and he gave her the first real sign of happiness the tactician had seen since she entered the room—a slight smile around the edges of his mouth.

The girl was having trouble focusing, but fully intended to finish the conversation, try as he might to distract her, "Emmeryn wouldn't have wanted this," she said simply, and his smile fell away, making her instantly regret the words and gave her the desire to return them, "She would have wanted you to lead Ylisse the best you can."

"But the people don't want me, Elisabeth," his face was still so close to her, his words resounded in her ears and she flushed at his tone, the rough scratch of his voice sending blood pulsing through her veins, "They want a real leader, they want Emmeryn."

She shook her head. "They don't want your sister," his raised an eyebrow, and she felt the skin on his forehead move his hair to brush against her own, "Your people want you, Chrom. They want peace and freedom, and most certainly someone to look to for reassurance; you're all those things, and even if they don't see it now, Emmeryn made the right decision. She did what was best for the halidom, because she knew that you would do the same."

Chrom didn't reply, only sighed, and lifted his eyes to look at the woman before him.

He hadn't had much thought on her when she had walked into the room—of course someone would attempt to cheer him up—but he hadn't expected Elisabeth to try. She was in cleaner clothes than the ones she had when they traveled across the plains; much different clothes, if he was being honest. The same worn cloak was fastened around her neck and tumbled over her shoulders, shrouding her figure in its shadow. Yet, now that the man looked past the oversized cloak, he saw what he had seen accidentally so long ago: a woman.

Lissa must have lent her clothes as she wore a high-cut blouse, fastened at her neck with pearl buttons that gleamed in the light of the moon, which was the color of cream. Silky, short sleeves stopped just above her elbow, instantly giving the garment away as something of Lissa's. Her pants, though, were something Elisabeth must have picked out as they held no design, only plain, black fabric fitted down her legs to her laced boots. When he looked back to her face, he realized her cheeks were completely red, tinted with bits of pink that reflected off her shirt, and matched against her silver eyes that glinted shyly beneath his gaze.

"Royalty suits you," he said simply, and keeping his face close to her, snaked his hands to her waist again, wrapping his hands into the fabric on her shirt at the small of her back and yanking her so she sat completely in his lap.

She gasped in surprise, and laughed when his face quickly became scarlet, his intention very clearly visible in the way he moved. Elisabeth glanced down, and quickly looked away, her eyes very wide. "S-sorry, Chrom, but I don't think we should act rash—"

He cut her off efficiently by moving even closer to her, tilting his head so his nose didn't collide with hers, and ghosted his lips across her mouth. Her breath caught and she waited, keeping the eye-contact, despite the rapid thrum of blood beneath her skin. The Prince wasted no time in using her silence to his advantage, and before she could protest, his mouth was slanted across hers in a hurried movement, closing the distance between them in seconds.

For a moment, the woman was dazed, as though she was in a dream, and let her mouth press hotly against Chrom's, his own persistently moving against hers as though he would otherwise fall. Something snapped in her head, and without realizing it, she began to move too, her hands moving from her lap to lightly wrap around his neck and smooth down over his shoulders. He was strong, even beneath the cotton of his shirt, and she nearly sighed into his mouth as he kissed her.

She knew it was wrong, and somewhere in the back of her mind was screaming incessantly about what terrible things would happen if she continued, yet, _she couldn't bring herself to stop, _not with Chrom's arms circling her as though she was his only concern, as though she was all that mattered to him. She kissed him for longer than she meant to, pulling back only when she needed air, and even then was captured by his mouth once more, kissing him again. Her senses were fuzzy; everything across her skin was on fire, and it wasn't until she felt something trailing along her neck, did Elisabeth notice his hand had moved from her waist to the clasp of her cloak around her neck, playing idly with the snap that kept it on her frame.

The tactician knew she should protest, knew she should stand up and walk away now, but her will-power melted beneath his affections, and she knew only the touch of his mouth and the stroke of his fingertips as they touched lightly against her collarbone. His fingers advanced, tugging at the clasp of her cloak, and as soon as he yanked it from the fabric and it clattered to the ground, she gasped against his kiss in surprise.

He took this as leverage, swallowing her gasp into his mouth and leaving her own lips open against his, clashing against the woman as she tugged lightly at the hair curled at the nape of his neck, brushing against her fingertips. His hands pushed at the cloak that still hung stubbornly to her shoulders and it fell, flying to the ground in a swift motion.

The shadow that had covered her before no longer remained, and she was fully revealed—the dip of her hips, the slight curves of her shoulders, and even the swell of her chest showed now, drawing Chrom's attention away from her mouth as he pulled away to press his lips to the juncture between her collarbone and her chin. Elisabeth felt exposed; her skin was chilled by the new air, but heated up just the same as she felt the man's mouth against her neck again, this time in a driven manner.

"C-Chrom," she gasped, and her thoughts nearly slipped away again as his tongue found its place against her skin, leaving her breathless; she grabbed them just in time, and held tight to her own thoughts as she battled against his motives. "We can't."

He didn't reply right away, only ghosted his mouth along her neck, behind her hair, moving up to her ear, and pausing on the dip in her cheekbone, his words breathy. "I can't say I would take you for one to be scared, Elisabeth," he smiled against her cheek and chuckled when she closed her eyes, refusing to meet his as he moved further along her face. He pressed light kisses to each of her eyelids before placing one on her nose and then moved back to her mouth, brushing against it lightly before speaking again, "But I can hear your heart beating from here, love."

Her face impossibly turned a darker shade of red. This time, he hesitated before kissing her, tempting her to take his bait, but she refused, holding her own stubbornly. He sighed and then kissed her, slowly, and she couldn't resist any longer, returning it against her will. Chrom seemed to have no motive to remove any more clothing, and Elisabeth was thankful; that was the only coherent thought that materialized, and beyond that, there was nothing, only a blank, swirling haze of pleasure floating beneath her skin.

She let him kiss her, or more so, she kissed him back, until he made a further initiative. His hands, already moving along her neck and waist, moved to trace lightly along her side, curving around her hip, before he moved quickly beneath her, pulling her over so fast that she hardly expected it and would have gasped in surprise if not for his mouth swallowing her sound.

Her back was pressed against the bedspread, her hair fanned out around her head as he never broke their connection, though their position had changed quite a bit. His hands held his body weight above her, only enough to keep him from pressing too tightly against her, but left connection along her body. She could feel his muscle against her chest, pinning her down; one hand was holding him up while the other held her own hands above her head. His mouth grew more persistent, and Elisabeth knew that if she let him continue for much longer, all would be lost and she would surrender to him, letting him keep her for the night, which would be most unwise on her part.

With the element of surprise, she twisted, pulling his body down over her before whirling onto her stomach, trapping him beneath her. When she lay above him, her hands on either side of his head, she caught his gaze again and felt a sense of pleasure curl in her stomach as she saw the wide-eyed look of bewilderment on his face. His face was slack, his lips swollen, with blotches of pink coloring his cheeks. She pushed herself up, enough to where she wasn't touching along any part of him, and sighed, shaking her head to clear it. Chrom had other ideas, though, and before she could regain her composure, his hands caught around her waist, rucking up her shirt enough to press hotly against her burning skin at the small of her back.

Her thoughts whirled wildly her in head, flitting around before she could focus on just one, as his fingers skimmed lightly along her skin, tracing up her spine enough to reveal the corset tied around her chest. She shook her head again, violently, before pulling away from his touch.

"Chrom!" Elisabeth nearly shouted, trying to snap not only her, but the Prince as well, out of what they had been doing. "Stop for just a moment, okay?"

He ignored her, running his hands along her back one last time before moving to her arms…

"_Stop, Chrom!_"

His face blinked wide, and he paused, watching her with a smug grin toying at the corners of his mouth. The once patted-down hair was now a handsome mess upon his head, cause of Elisabeth's grip in it, and there were marks along his mouth that looked oddly red, as though something had bitten him. He was completely vulnerable here, and something twisted inside the woman, making her clamp her eyes shut and bite her lip to focus.

"_Focus, focus, focus…"_ She chanted quietly to herself, trying to dismiss the disarrayed man below her. Finally, her skin cooled slightly, and her thoughts cleared, bringing her sense to the front and pushing back the pleasure she had felt before. Elisabeth carefully opened her eyes, and peered down, glancing at Chrom. His face was still surprised, his eyebrows raised, but he made no movement to continue. When she found her voice, it was rough, and nearly made her squeak in embarrassment. "You can't use me for this."

"Mhhmm?" He sounded genuinely surprised, as though he hadn't expected her to question what he was doing, just to accept it. His eyes glinted as he watched her take deep breaths, trying to steady her breathing. The expression he wore was much too smug, and she wished he wouldn't look at her like that.

"You can't use me as a distraction," she said firmly, and watched as his expression changed from smug to upset. "I know exactly what you're doing; did you honestly think I wouldn't? I'm your tactician, Chrom, not a friend with benefits."

With that last words, his mouth dropped down to form an "o", leaving his face stretched into pure astonishment, but she wasn't finished yet.

"Using me to get over Emmeryn won't fix anything, and you know it, but yet, you do this anyway. Not that I'm upset with it," she flushed, "if I was smart, I would have stopped you before this started and you could handle grief the normal way, like every other soldier in the castle."

"..Using you?" He sounded honestly confused, and it clicked with the girl that he may not be _aware_ that he was using her like that, just capable of ridding himself of grief that consumed his heart, and apparently, other places as well.

She sighed and looked down at him, "You're using me as a distraction," she explained, "to forget what happened today, and as your friend, I won't let you do that, not something you would regret tomorrow. Perhaps you should speak to Cordelia if you want someone to help you _like that._"

"I—Elisabeth, you mean—But I didn't—" Realization dawned on his face as he floundered for words, his face steadily growing flustered with each word he said. "Maybe I did." He said finally, and his voice was filled with something the woman could only deem as shame.

Elisabeth shifted so she was seated on his waist, moving to avoid what would only make things worse, and she moved back a bit as he sat up, running a hand through his hair. She was close to him again, but at this point, he didn't seem as though he was going to make any more advances. "I don't blame you," she said quickly, placing her hand gently upon his face and forcing him to look her in the eye, "Death is a terrible thing, Chrom, and I wish I could take the grief on your heart and put it in my own," He made a face. "But making love isn't exactly the way to get through it, especially un-formally with your head tactician." The Prince's face lit up in embarrassment, and he sighed.

"I-I'm sorry," he said quietly, and she nodded in agreement, her face stern. She tried very hard not to think back to what they had just done, the way his lips felt, or the way his hair felt in her hands…Elisabeth shook her head to clear it once more and then growled, or a made a noise close to one, her face twisted in shame.

"I didn't make it any easier," his mouth turned up slightly at the corners, the smug expression returning slightly, and she rolled her eyes playfully. With her words, she realized the position she was in and shifted, trying to move her body off of him. Yet, with her movement, his face tightened and his hands went to her shirt, gripping tightly there with a quiet grunt, and she paused in confusion. "Is something the matter?"

He looked up, his eyes strained, and gave a slight smile as his hands slowly released their grip on her shirt. "Just don't…slide like that. It's not exactly…appropriate for the moment."

Realization was clear in her face almost instantly and she jumped off him, shouting apologies as she went. "Oh, Chrom, I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to, just sort of forgot I suppose—you know how forgetful I am—" He chuckled, and watched her move to her feet, her hands behind her back as if she was a child in trouble.

"You're the one apologizing? Wasn't I the one who was trying to seduce you to get over my dead sister?"

"Yes, but that's not nearly as awful as what I just did. Scolding you for doing that to _me_ and then I go and make things worse," she shook her head, letting her hair fall over one eye.

He raised an eyebrow in interest, and she nearly squeaked at the smug look returning. "_Doing that to you?_" Chrom asked, settling on the edge of the bed with a look of curiosity.

She quickly tried to backpedal, her eyes widening, "Oh, well, I suppose you already know that I didn't, per-say, _not_ enjoy it, but I'd prefer you not use me for that next time."

"Next time?"

Elisabeth groaned, putting her head in her hands. "This is coming out all wrong," she mumbled, hiding her warming face in her fingers as she tried to rephrase, "I mean to say—well, I guess—Look," she said finally, her face appearing from her hands, determined, "Using me was wrong, but I can't say that, well, that…" she sighed, "that I didn't enjoy it, alright?" Just before the smugness could fill his entire grin, she raised her eyebrows and smiled too, placing her hands behind her back once more.

"Chrom," she began, catching his eye once more, this time somber, "I'm sorry about Emmeryn, and I'm sorry that I failed you," he opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a hand, dismissing him; "but you can't grieve here in your castle forever. The halidom needs you, Lissa and Frederick need you, and…and I need you."

The Prince nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "How are they holding up? Lissa and Frederick, I mean."

"Lissa has been out in the gardens since you left, sobbing without end, and Frederick is completely bent on the whole thing, claiming it was his fault the Exalt died, that he should have been a better knight, and that he would rather die before he sees any more Exalt blood spilled. So he hasn't left Lissa's side, basically."

Chrom flinched at the news, humiliation clear in his traits as he listened. "Perhaps I should see to them," he said, but he didn't move, only shifted his gaze to his hands in his lap. "It wasn't fair to Lissa to leave her alone after…after Emm fell."

"Maribelle hasn't left her side, along with Frederick," Elisabeth reassured him the best she was able, her voice shifting from softness to concern, "she's well-taken care of, Chrom."

"I—I just don't think I can face her right now. She's so much like Emm," his eyes grew cloudy, fading as he drifted into his memories; he twisted his hands in his lap and smiled slightly. "I remember she used to follow Emm around in the flower patches so she could learn all of their names, but she could never remember what grew in the summer and what grew in late autumn." He paused to run a hand through his dark hair. "Or the time Lissa asked for a new dress, one of the worst designs I've ever seen, if I'm being honest, and Emm let her have it. She danced around in that dreadful thing for _days_ before Maribelle told her what a terrible dress it was. That was one of the only times I've ever seen Lissa cry," Elisabeth looked over in surprise and he quickly added, "Like she meant it, at least. Emm told her she would buy her a new dress, a prettier one, and made her feel so much better. Lissa would do the same thing in a heartbeat and I just…" He trailed off, staring off past Elisabeth to something much deeper, his eyes lost from the present.

It was strange; Elisabeth thought that Chrom was acting as though he was unharmed. He was hurt, she was sure, but his humorous side, the same one she loved in him, was showing as he retold of his sisters' adventures. His face was lit up like a candle, glowing in the light from the windows as he thought fondly of his fallen sister, and the one crying in the garden. He loved them so very much—he was so devoted to them—and Elisabeth couldn't see anything wrong with being committed to your family if you loved them so dearly. Yet, losing one of them caused just what Chrom was feeling now, and it made her hurt inside to think of what pain he must be feeling.

"Perhaps," she said, smiling lightly at the Prince as he glanced sideways at her, "you should wait till morning to speak to her. She can handle tonight, I believe, with Frederick and Maribelle at her side," carefully, the woman reached to the ground, bending at the waist to retrieve her cloak and clasp on the ground with burning cheeks. As she stood straight, she saw Chrom's gaze on her once more, his eyes filled with something she once more didn't recognize. "You will have to face her in the morning, though."

"I figured as much."

"As well as Sumia and Cordelia, who have most likely been searching the entire castle for you. I hope they would have given up by now, but you know those two," she laughed quietly, "always persistent."

Chrom scratched behind his ear sheepishly. "Sumia is one thing, but Cordelia? I would have figured she would have business with the head of the guard, being the last of her knight sisters."

"Considering the head of guard is outside comforting your sister, I don't think that would exactly be agreeable."

"Right," he said slowly, "could you possibly speak with them for me? You would be doing be a great favor." His face became pleading, and sparked a smile on Elisabeth's face.

She bit the clasp in her hand down in her mouth while tugging her cloak out over her shoulders, and then pinned the piece of metal to the cloth at her neck, fastening tightly so the fabric could swish down around her legs. She then clasped her hands together and smiled. "Afraid not, milord," he made a face at the title and she laughed, "The women of the castle are not my concerns, though they are yours. Yet, from what I saw tonight…" her cheeks warmed as her thoughts flitted back to earlier than evening and quickly pulled back, "You shouldn't have trouble convincing them that you're truly sorry."

Chrom rolled his eyes and then watched with little joy as Elisabeth pulled her cloak around, tugging it so it shrouded the rest of her form in shadow and left nothing but a single pearl button glistening in the light to his eye. She moved to glance in the mirror on his dresser and gasped at the sight.

Before she had entered, her face as been pale and her hair smoothed down. Now, her hair was disarrayed in gentle curls over her shoulders, springing up around her face and giving the bright, pink color to her cheeks a shining quality. Her cloak was crumpled, wrinkled beyond fix, and her top was snapped at the third pearl button, leaving a patch of her corset visible through the silk. The skin around her lips was swollen and pink, and her eyes were very bright; there was a small circle the size of a ring forming just below her collarbone and was quickly turning a purplish color…She hurriedly pulled the cloak around herself again, and turned to look over at Chrom.

He frowned at her before tugging at his boots. They dropped the ground with a _clank_. "Where are you going?" he asked, and he meant it, as she tried to calm her hair back into its original state. She looked over in surprise.

"To my room, of course," she replied, satisfied with the way her hair fell down around her face, and returned to looking at the Prince, who was now pulling the metal chain holding the guard beneath his shirt loose. Once it clicked, the guard fell and he pulled it from beneath his shirt, letting it drop to the ground. "Where else?"

"I was wondering…" he blushed slightly, and rubbed behind his head, ruffling his hair, "though I know it's the height of impropriety; by all rights, I shouldn't be asking because gods only know what would happen if someone were to find us," he looked to the ground for a moment, and then sighed before looking back up, "but I was wondering, if you would, perhaps, stay for the night." He was almost sheepish as he asked, refusing to meet her eyes as she took a step back in astonishment.

"C-Chrom!" Elisabeth exclaimed, her hand rushing to her mouth to stop the gasp that was soon to emerge there.

He quickly added to his statement, standing from the bed to stand beside her, "Not like that! I'll behave, I promise. It's just, nightmares have haunted me ever since my mother and father passed, and Emm finally cured them by letting me sleep in her bed when I was young, yet now that's she's gone…"

"You're afraid that they'll come back," Elisabeth finished, her tone soft as she listened to the man speak as though his heart was broken.

She too knew the haunt of nightmares, due to the dreams that left her wailing in the middle of the night and caused a layer of sweat to hang upon her brow, and she wished more than anything for Chrom not to suffer the same fate. The woman herself hardly slept due to the dreams—and had been haunted with them since the day Chrom had found her in the field.

"I'm afraid they'll come back with her in them," he admitted, and he sighed, "But I cannot ask such a thing of you, Elisabeth. Forgive me, for both my request and…my actions for this evening."

One look at Chrom, his hair tousled and his face regretful, and Elisabeth knew she was lost. For a man with such devotion and determination, Elisabeth surely knew she loved him, and in that moment, it didn't seem as though anything else mattered. Perhaps someone would find them, and perhaps they would assume and perceive, but suddenly, with the Prince of Ylisse standing before her with ruffled hair and wide eyes, the tactician decided she didn't care. With a sigh, she moved the clasp she just fastened and pulled it, taking that and the cloak from her shoulders into her hands. The Prince watched with a curious look as she placed the clasp onto his dresser and folded the cloak into a neat pile, and then ran a hand through her pale hair.

"What are you—"

He stopped speaking as soon as she moved to the door, pulling the lock there before returning to the dresser. Just as soon as she returned, he tried again.

"Elisabeth—"

She gave him a sideways glance and then sighed before reaching for the first button of her blouse, pulling at it carefully with nimble fingers before letting it come undone. Chrom's eyebrows shot way up, disappearing into his hairline as she undid the second button, leaving three of the six free of their places. The white silk of her corset was easily visible now, and she tried to steady her breathing the best she could, keeping her breaths deep and relaxed. The more she panicked, the worse Chrom would take it.

Her fingers dropped to the fourth button, then the fifth, and finally the sixth, tugging the pearl button from its place, leaving the blouse hanging around her frame. She moved to shrug it from her shoulders and pulled it into her hands, folding it like the cloak before. The white corset beneath was tightly fitted and held tight down her waist, cutting short at just above her hips. Chrom was beyond being surprised; his mouth was rounded and his eyes were widened way past the point of astonishment. Yet he watched, though it felt internally wrong. Physically, he couldn't have been happier. She reached down to unlace her boots, pulling them from her feet but leaving her socks in place, and placed them on the floor beside the dresser.

Elisabeth smiled and braced herself. This was where she was worried. Perhaps he wouldn't be bothered by it, but…with a deep breath, she moved her hands to the fasten of her pants. _Relax,_ she thought soothingly, her hands shaking, _you have another pair beneath them. It isn't a big deal. _True, she had never been so undressed with a man in the room, most certainly not royalty, but it was just Chrom. It was just _her _Chrom...She nearly laughed to herself at the thought.

The button at her waistline snapped out of place and the fabric fell to her feet, leaving her in tightly fitted traveling pants. Honestly, there wasn't any skin showing besides the skin at the dip in her corset-neckline and past her calf, but the tight fit made her glance over to Chrom with a sense of self-consciousness, twirling her hands in front of her after folding the pants and placing them with her shirt and cloak upon the dresser. When finished, her stack of clothing hardly took up more than a master seal's space on the dresser.

When she turned to look at Chrom, his face made her cross her arms over her chest in embarrassment. His eyes were wide—with adoration or appreciation, she wasn't sure—and his desire became much more prominent, making her giggle. She then pulled the pin holding a bit of her hair back out of her curls and placed it beside the rest of her things, enjoying the familiar routine, or perhaps Chrom's gaze that followed her every move. Then, when she was completely finished, she turned to him with a slight smile and a self-conscience expression.

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes only growing wider by the second. Then, with a step towards her, he spoke. "What," he said roughly, "the hell are you doing?"

"You didn't expect me to sleep in my clothes, did you?" she batted her eyes lightly, innocently.

His expression shifted entirely, one mixed with humiliation and joy. "You're staying?"

"What else?" she said and she smiled at him, one that showed that despite his unexpected behavior, she still trusted him, more than anyone. With a slim hand, she pointed to the French doors' curtains, her eyebrow raised, and laughed. "You're going to have to close those, though. Wouldn't want anyone to know I'm here," It took him a moment, but Chrom finally nodded and moved to pull the curtains closed, efficiently cutting off most of the light entering the room and leaving them to stand across from each other in the sliver of pale light that made it through a shift in the curtains.

She blushed heavily as he unfastened the belts going over his shoulders and threw them to the ground, leaving them to join the growing pile of his heaped clothes on the floor. Next, he undid the buttons of his shirt, and then very carefully, pulled it from his form, leaving him in only the dark pants he had worn during the trek. Elisabeth tried her best not to look him over—it felt wrong, and perhaps even stereotypical—but she couldn't help herself as her eyes caught on the taunt skin of his chest, the rigid muscles of his stomach, the curve of his toned muscle…

Her eyes hurriedly averted themselves and she tried her best not to run her hands through her hair to be sure she looked decent. "Elisabeth?" His voice called for her from across the room and she was forced to look back up at him. Her gaze on his face nearly wavered, but she held it, keeping her resolve together. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"I trust you," she replied wholeheartedly, "and I owe you one, don't you know? I can't very well leave you to have nightmares and get a terrible night of sleep."

He looked at her, this time only edged with a sort of desire, and smiled. "Right." Chrom stood by the end of the bed, his hand behind his head in a sheepish manner, as his tactician stood half-undressed by the door, her face lit up with blush and happiness. He made a motion with his hand to the bed, and chuckled nervously.

Elisabeth took a deep breath, smoothed a hand over her corset, and moved to the bed, drawing back the sheets before climbing into it. She hadn't slept in a bed since the last time she was Ylisstol, and the comforting feeling of a pillow beneath her head and clean sheets over her form made her sigh in bliss. Then, she heard a rustle from the headboard as the bed creaked one way, and before she could register he was there, Chrom lay beside her, his face turned up to the ceiling, his hands flat by his sides. She cracked an eye open to see, and smiled at his peaceful state.

Carefully turning on her side, Elisabeth moved to face him, her hand stretched out in the space between them, her tanned fingers a strange contrast to the white sheets. Chrom opened his eyes to look over at her, and noticing she had flipped over, turned to his side as well. His eyes were bright, and even though she knew there was sadness in his heart, she couldn't help but feel as though she had helped cure him of something that could have been much worse. "Goodnight, Chrom," she whispered, closing her eyes just as he replied.

"Good night, Elisabeth."

And then, it seemed, that though Emmeryn was gone and Lissa was crying and Chrom had so nearly seduced his best friend, everything would be alright.

* * *

><p><strong>End:<strong>

_Hahahaha, okay, so that was pretty, ah, different. I normally try not to write stuff like this, since it obviously isn't my specialty, but I've gotten a few requests for something-er, what's the word? 'Limeish'?-so I hope that was more to the taste of a few people. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to let me know what you think! (especially if you see a mistake)_

_-tolkienlover_


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